


Never Again

by QuickySand



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Gen, I'm sorry what have I done ;v;, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-04
Updated: 2016-02-04
Packaged: 2018-05-18 03:10:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5895847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QuickySand/pseuds/QuickySand
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the timeline changes... will it be for better or worse? How will Sans handle it, now that he's finally seeing something new? How will CHARA react? Who will live, who will die? Who will Reset? Never again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Never Again

   Sans was terrified; he had never been in this situation, before, even with all of the timelines he’s lived(and sometimes died) through. Everything was out of order; Toriel had been killed, then Undyne, then other random monsters, even little MK. It was… It was all wrong. Something was… _Wrong_. “B-Brother, w-where are we going?” His brother asked timidly as they stepped foot outside of their house for the first time since they had seen Undyne turn to dust before their very eyes.

“Somewhere safe, bro.” Sans whispered and Papyrus relaxed a bit. “Over here, let’s take a shortcut…” And as they rounded a corner, they were suddenly in Waterfall.

 

   “Quiet, bro,” I whispered as we rounded a corner, “That kid might be somewhere around here…” Papyrus nodded, holding my hand tightly, and I squeezed it reassuringly. As afraid as I was, I was also relieved; if everything was changing, then I was going to do my best to protect my brother, this time, even if that meant dying first, this time.

“Is… Anybon… Dere? Tem scared…” A small, shaky voice caught my attention, and I whipped around to see three Temmies wondering nervously out of a patch of water sausages. They looked up at us in fright.

“Sans,” Papyrus breathed, “We can’t just leave them…” I sighed and nodded, beckoning the little monsters over. With soft wails they scampered over and threw themselves into our arms.

“Shh, hush, little ones, don’t get us caught…!” I urged gently and they quickly quieted themselves to barely-audible whimpers. “Hurry, bro, this way.” I led him to a waterfall and carefully pushed him inside of it before looking around and ducking under as well. We were now in a good-sized cave, the faint roar of water crashing down echoing around us. “There…” I sighed, setting the Temmie I held down before sitting down against the far wall.

“S-Sans, h-how did you know about this?” My brother asked in a nervous tone and I smiled wearily.

“I often come here to think or work off stress,” I eyes the scorch marks on the stone, “Pretty sure the kid won’t think to look here, and the waterfall is loud enough to drown out any of our talking. It was only a matter of time until they checked our house, bro… We had to move.” Papyrus shivered and sat down beside me, the Temmies curling up with us. It helped us all stay warm, at least.

“H-Hello?” I tensed up when a form appeared from under the water, then relaxed when I realized that they were far too big to be Chara. It was one of the ERG, Elite Royal Guard.

“Will?” Papyrus gasped in surprise and the buff monster looked relieved, though his eyes were haunted. “Where’s Benny? You two hardly _ever_ separate!” Tears welled up in Will’s eyes and I tensed up. “Oh, you poor thing… C’mere.” My brother murmured and his friend sat down with us, letting a Temmie jump into his lap.

“I-I didn’t even get to be honest about my feelings with him… He just told me to run and I did, and the human didn’t follow me so I’ve been hiding for three days, and then I saw you guys come in here, and…” His ears lowered as he rubbed his paw over his wet head fur. “Shucks, I’m just so glad that I’m not alone, anymore…” That statement hit close to home. I smiled reassuringly at him and patted his knee.

“It’ll get better, pal, I promise.” Papyrus seemed surprised by my optimism(even though it was false), but didn’t say anything about it.

“So… What now…?” Will asked unsurely and I sighed.

“Go ahead and rest, you guys; I’ll keep watch.” Will scoffed as he wrung out his ears.

“You? _Keep watch_? That’s a new one.” I let my smile slip into a frown, something I didn’t let others see on a normal basis…or at all.

“ _Sleep_.” Will gulped and nodded before lying down. It took little effort on their parts to fall asleep, and soon they were all snoring and sleeping soundly. All but Papyrus.

“Sans, I’m scared…” A new fear blossomed within me; it wasn’t like my brother to admit that he was afraid of something… But what was it? I wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him gently up against my side, letting him not skull against mine.

“Whatcha scared about, bro?” I asked in my most soothing tone, looking up at him when he sniffed; his eyes were distant and bright orange tears streaked down his face.

“The human,” _Oh,_ “A-And death… And you.” I tensed up, more than concerned by his statement.

“W-Wha…?” He turned to me, mouth quivering.

“I know that it shouldn’t seem so strange to me, Sans, but… Y-You’ve been acting weird… You’re quiet, you’re not making puns, and you’re not… You’re not _smiling_. You _always_ smile, Sans…” At this I tried to put on my normal mask again, but it instantly shattered and I began to tremble as I broke into quiet sobs. Papyrus was quick to comfort me and allowed me to let it all out.

“If I’m honest, bro,” I sniffed, “I’m scared, too.” We held each other like that for who knows how long until we both eventually fell to sleep.

 

   I woke with a start. Papyrus was still asleep beside me, Temmies curled up around him. Will, however, was awake and sitting facing the waterfall. Gently maneuvering away from Paps, I stood up and walked over to the former RG. He didn’t turn to look at me, but he twitched an ear to acknowledge that he had noticed me. “Even now, the water is beautiful.” I said softly and he nodded slowly. After a few moments of tranquil silence, “Keep an eye on my bro.” An arm flashed out and caught my wrist before I could pass through the water.

“W-Wait, where are you going…?!” Will wore a panicked expression.

“To look for more survivors.” I shrugged and he released me.

“What… What if you get caught going out?” I smiled reassuringly at him.

“I won’t.” As soon as I entered the water, out of sight from Will, I teleported to something much more familiar; the Lab. The… True Lab. I walked around its halls for a while until, sure enough, I found two occupants in a back room.

“S-Sans…?!” Alphys squeaked in surprise as Mettaton held her close.

“They’ll find you here,” I said softly, reaching a hand out to them, “Follow me; I’m gathering survivors.” They hurried over to me without hesitance, hand-in-hand, though their gazes silently questioned me. Not answering the unspoken question, I took Alphys’ paw and led them forward. “Over here; I know a shortcut.” As we began to enter a corridor, it quickly changed to Waterfall scenery. We were standing in reeds so tall that they covered Alphys and I’s heads.

“H-How did you-?”

“Shh!” I hissed; standing quite a ways up ahead was Frisk… _Chara_. I shoved Mettaton down to his hands and knees before the kid could turn around, and sure enough they did. Their piercing red eyes stared through us as they gazed into the reeds with a chilling smile. I quickly, silently, covered my friends’ mouths before they could make any sounds, my soul deathly still in my chest. A knife whizzed past me and I heard the unfortunately-familiar squeal of a dying Moldsmal. The sick smell of death and dust reached me and my eyes watered. Chara rushed past us a few feet away with a maniacal giggle. After a few minutes of waiting to make sure that they didn’t come back, I released my friends and helped Mettaton back up. Alphys let out a choked sob and I tensed up. “I’m sorry…” Was all I could quietly say as I began to lead them onward again.

 

   When we entered the cave, I was pulled into a tight hug by my brother. “Don’t you ever leave without telling me again!!” He cried and I hugged him back.

“Sorry, bro, I didn’t want to wake you.” I soothed softly.

“Y-You could have gotten killed…!!” I didn’t mention the close encounter, but my body tense-up was enough to inform him and the others.

“I found some friends, bro.” My voice was still soft as I changed the subject. Alphys sniffed, Mettaton holding  her close again. “I’m going back out to search for a few more; I’ll be back, soon.” I left Paps’ arms only to be pulled back into another embrace.

“Sans?” I blushed a bit at my name spoken against the side of my skull.

“Y-Yeah, bro?” A light squeeze sent a shiver to my soul.

“…Stay safe.” I relaxed with a warm smile, pecking the top of my brother’s skull.

“Of course, bro.”

 

   I managed to find Napstablook and Muffet before I noticed that it was getting dark and I had to turn in. It was thankfully warm in the cave, especially when we were all huddled together. We were an odd pick, silent, but it didn’t matter. Not in these times. Eight hours passed quickly, according to Muffet’s watch, as everyone slept. Everyone but me; I kept watch. When “morning” came round, I woke everybody and informed them that I was heading back out. “If I’m lucky,” I had said, “I might find King Asgore.” Papyrus had pulled me in for a loving nuzzle, making my soul quiver again, before letting me go. I ended up bringing back a Vulcan and a few Froggits before I decided to check one of the most famous hotspots in the Underground; Grillby’s Bar and Restaurant. It was deathly silent inside, and while the lights were dim, they were still on. _Somebody’s here._ I thought, looking around. I saw a faint glow from under the door of Grillby’s “fire escape” and nodded firmly to myself. I made my way quietly over to the door and carefully opened it up. There was a frightened intake of breath and I had to use my magick to quickly catch a glass that had been thrown my way. Though my soul was beating rapidly, it quickly mellowed out with relief when I saw Grillby, huddled up near the fridge, staring at me with wide eyes behind broken glasses. My best friend… I set the glass down gently on a counter and knelt before him.

“…Sans…?” His voice was a disbelieving whisper as tears filled his eyes. With a choked-up smile, I pulled him into a warm embrace.

“I’m glad you’re still kickin’, pal.” I chuckled quietly and he hugged me back with his own laugh.

“What are you doing here, you numb-skull…?! You could get dusted!” I shook my head, standing up and pulling him to his feet.

“Shut up and follow me, you twig-eater.” I teased playfully and he laughed again. Taking his wrist, I led him out the back door and the scenery changed to a garden of golden flowers. _Guess I didn’t have to look very far, after-all._ I thought to myself as I saw a familiar form watering some flowers. Grillby looked about to question me, then thought twice and stopped himself from saying anything. “My king?” Asgore quickly stood and turned to us with a large smile, though his big golden eyes were practically lifeless.

“Oh! Hello, Sans! Is there something you need?” I frowned a bit, worried by his dull tone. Walking toward him, I carefully took the watering-can from his paw and set it down.

“Yes, my king; I need you to follow me,” His smile grew as he shook his head.

“I’m afraid I cannot, my friend; I must stay and finish off the human.” My frown grew more pronounced.

“Believe me when I say that this is a Fight you will not win, Asgore,” His smiled faltered and I continued, “Please, come with me; for your people,” He hesitated again, “For your remaining people.” His posture finally slackened and his smile vanished. After a long, silent moment, my friend nodded. With my own reassuring smile, I took Asgore’s paw and Grillby’s hand. “This way, fellas.” I led them through an entrance of a corridor, and we ended up by the umbrellas in Waterfall. I picked one out and handed it to Grillby before leading them cautiously once more. _No presence… They must be in Hotland._ “In here.” I said quietly, nodding toward the waterfall. Grillby opened his umbrella and we entered. Everyone stared at us in surprise, and Grillby and Asgore stared back in shock. I ignored this and chose to quietly sit down next to my brother. “I’ll be going back out tomorrow to scout out Hotland,” I sighed, “I think I saw some Whimsun hiding, but it’s too late and dark out now to check.”

“Okay, Sans…” A hint of my smile returned when Papyrus leaned up against me, the heat of his magick tickling mine. It was a pleasant feeling that brought a blue tinge to my cheeks as I wrapped an arm around him and pulled him almost possessively close to me. _I’ll protect you, bro, no matter what. I’m not giving up, this time; this time’s different…_ Paps laid his head in my lap, deepening my blush as I pet my hand gently over his skull in a soothing rhythm. _Get some sleep, bro; I’ll be right here._

The next few days bore no fruit, and I was growing more and more tired with no sleep. Every time I went out, the scent of death and dust clogged my senses and made my soul churn. My vision had begun to double, and my movements were slower and clumsier than usual. I swayed as I reentered the cave, the use of magick draining me in ways worse than physical. Grillby was quick to steady me, Papyrus worriedly shooting to his feet. “Sans, are you alright?” I smiled as best as I could at Grillby and waved him off.

“Brother, how much sleep have you gotten, lately?” My posture stiffening was all they needed as an answer. “Sans!!” My body warmed when my brother’s former self shined through as he raised his voice in irritation. “You get over here and you go to sleep, right now!” My smile returned a bit as I walked over to my bro and patted his arm.

“I’m fine, bro; gotta keep watch.” He crossed his arms with a frustrated frown.

“Someone else can keep watch! You need your sleep, brother; you’re exhausted!” My trademark smirk returned to my face as I stuffed my hands in my jacket’s pockets.

“ _Make_ me, bro.” I challenged cheekily. But I took a step back with a nervous gulp when he narrowed his eyes at me. The next few moments were a blur, but I ended up with Papyrus on top of me and a familiar sensation at my ribs. I couldn’t help but burst into laughter and squirm as his fingers played at my most sensitive bones. “N-N-N-No!! P-Please, no! P-Pap, oh, s-stars, have some M-M-Mercy-hihi!! Ahahaha!! _Ahaha_ , P-Pappy, st-stop!! Pappy, _please_!” He finally stopped when my struggling weakened, giggling to himself. I stared hazily up at him as I chuckled through my heavy panting, and Papyrus teared up a bit with a watery smile.

“There’s the smile I know and love,” I grinned warmly up at him, “Now get to sleep, before I tickle you some more!” My grin quickly formed into a smirk. _Or, I could just…_ Despite my weariness, I quickly flipped our positions when he was off his guard.

“Well, _I’m_ the older and obviously superior brother, so _I_ say that I get to stay up.” The challenge didn’t need to be outright spoken. A glint entered my brother’s eyes as he smirked as well.

“You think so, nyeh? Well, the Great Papyrus will _not_ be deterred!” We ended up wrestling, everyone cheering us on, until we wore out. I fell asleep, a bit flustered, atop of Papyrus.

 

   A soft mumbling drew attention an hour or two after everyone awoke. “What is that?” Asgore asked from where he was playing tic-tac-toe on the cave floor with Papyrus.

“It’s… It’s Sans.” Alphys spoke up in fascination, kneeling in front of the short skeleton who slept sitting up against the wall.

“Oh,” Papyrus said cheerfully, “He must be dreaming again! What’s he sayi-” A dark chuckle stopped him as Sans lazily pulled himself to his feet. When he lifted his skull, his sockets were empty, void of his usual pinprick pupils.

“It’s a beautiful day outside…” Even in his sleep his voice drawled, as if he had said it a million times before. “Birds are singing, flowers are blooming… On days like this, kids like you…” His left eye suddenly lit up with a ring of blue fire, and Papyrus yelped. “Should be burning in Hell.” Alphys gulped at his chilling, lifeless grin, gasping in pain when she was pulled towards him by her soul. “We do this all the time, Chara… But this time, you just took a different route, Let’s end it quickly, this time, before you decide to pull any more filthy tricks.” Alphys was slammed up against the opposite wall with a cry of pain, causing Sans to chuckle darkly as he strode forward. “What’s wrong, kid? It ain’t like you to not fight back. What, you taking a page from my book and _finally_ giving up?” Luminescent blue tears formed at the bottoms of his sockets. “Are you _finally_ getting bored of us?” A few bones with sharpened ends appeared, pointed at Alphys. “Hehehe… I’m getting bored of it, too-”

“Sans, _stop_!!” Papyrus tackled his brother to the cave floor, earning a pained grunt but another smirk, and Alphys was dropped.

“Guess not.” Papyrus rolled them side to side, dodging each bone attack as he tried to reach Sans’ consciousness.

“Sans, snap _out_ of it!! It’s just another bad dream!! I promise!!” A hiss as a bone scraped a shoulder blade, and Papyrus held back tears. “Sans, _please_ , it’s _me_ , Papyrus!!”

“Such a dirty brother-killer.”

“ _Sans_!!” A Gaster Blaster appeared just behind them, already charging up.

“Papyrus, watch out!!” Alphys exclaimed from where Mettaton was helping her up, and the younger brother swooped down and shut his eyes tightly. Silence filled the cave as the Gaster Blaster shimmered away and Sans’ eyes returned to normal.

 

  I awoke to the sensation of a mouth pressed against mine. As my vision slowly came in, my eyes widened and my face flushed a dark blue; it was Papyrus who was straddling me, eyes closed and brows furrowed as he pushed his mouth firmly against mine. Then, to my concern, I noticed that his clothes were torn in places and there were scorch marks on the ground around us. My brother’s eyes filled with relief when he opened them and he pulled his back, letting my mouth open. “Are you better now, brother?” It took a moment to find my words, even if they were jumbled and didn’t make much sense.

“Pap, what the fu…?! Why were you…?! What the…?! What happ…?! _What_?!” His smile was shaky but reassuring as tears filled his eyes.

“You were having a night terror again, Sans!” Dread crept up my spine.

“But why were you…?”

“Kissing you?” My blush deepened as I nodded slowly. “You were about to hurt Alphys, then me! I had to do _something_ , and it always worked on television!” _I was about to…?_ My blush settled down as guilt engulfed my soul, tears spilling down my cheeks. My gaze flitted around the room and I saw that everyone was staring at me in worry and fear.

“Holy shit… Paps, I’m so sorry!! I didn’t mean to-!” He shook his head.

“I’m just glad you’re alright, Sans.” My soul fluttered a bit, dropping again as I looked back over the damage I had done to him. _Well, since they’ve already seen most of it, I might as well teleport around, now…_

“I’ll be right back,” I murmured, “I’m going to go look for something to heal you and Alphys.” I pulled him down and kissed the top of his skull before letting my magick build up and teleporting out.

 

   “Hello… Sans.” I whipped around, clutching the first-aid kits I held close as I stared wide-eyed at Chara, their steel knife reflecting the fire in my eye. Collecting myself, I smirked coolly at them.

“Hey, pal.” They licked some blood off of their cheek.

“You gonna tell me where you and your friends are hiding?” I followed their movements closely as they spun their knife between their fingers.

“You’re ‘kid’ding me, right? You already know the answer to that.” Their grin turned into a frown, and the same for my smirk.

“I’ll find them some way or another.” The way they said “them” unsettled me and sent chills down my spine.

“I know.” I muttered, dodging quickly side-to-side as they swiped at me. I let out a startled hiss when my jacket was slashed in several places, but I was fast enough that they didn’t break through to my body. Before they had a chance to do any real damage, I teleported out of there as fast as I could. I collapsed on the cave floor, skull ringing at the sudden use of magick and the speed at which I had used it. It took a few moments, but soon I was able to make out voices again.

“Sans, please answer me!! Are you alright?!” It was Papyrus. I pushed myself up into a sitting position. I scowled at the tears in my jacket as my brother gripped me close, wincing when the first-aid kits dug into my ribs. “Sans, what happened?!” I patted his back.

“Little fucker caught me off guard,” I muttered, “Just lucky I can long-range teleport and that I’m fast enough to dodge them.” Everyone stared silently at me and grew tense. “What?”

“Sans,” Grillby said slowly, “If they had hit you even once, you’d be dead… Why are you so calm about this?” Papyrus loosened his grip on me and let me sit back again, but I didn’t answer.

“Sans, I… I realize that there are many things you haven’t told us,” My brother started unsurely, “And I know that you normally like to keep to yourself, but… D-Do you want to talk about it? We’re your friends, Sans, we won’t judge you…” I looked away, my scowl softening as tears filled my eyes. My throat felt tight and I choked up on my words. _It’s_ because _you are…_

“He’s not fazed by Chara because he’s fought the kid hundreds of times.” I tensed up at  all-too-familiar voice. Papyrus looked past me with a confused expression, while Alphys looked past me in horror.

“Flowey? You… You’re alive? How did you find us? A-And what on Earth do you mean?” I gritted my teeth at the sound of a small, weary sigh.

“I’ve been watching you all ever since Sans brought you here, and I honestly thought he would have told you, by now.” With an angry growl, I stood up and whipped around. Asriel just barely enough time to dodge and burrow over to a feet away.

“It was _you_ , wasn’t it?! Asriel, you little shit!!” I hissed and he yelped, and we began the chase.

“I thought that if I changed the order and sent Undyne out there first, Chara would be satisfied!” He cried, yelping and changing his direction when I teleported a couple of feet in front of him.

“Oh, I _know_ why you did it you little brat!! What were your exact words?! “Maybe it’s because Chara wasn’t exactly the best person”?! And you still want to “play” with him?! Well, you’re _play_ ing with hundreds of lives!!”

“And you weren’t?! I just wanted my brother back!!” I teleported directly in front of him and lightly stepped on his stem to keep him from going anywhere, fist raised. The little flower closed his eyes with a whimper, waiting for the blow. But his words slapped my core like a direct hit to the soul as I stared at the tears that dripped off of his golden petals. My anger evaporated like mist and I suddenly felt very tired as I un-balled my fist. With a tired sigh, I let my hand down gently unto his head and pet his large, soft petals.

“I know, kid… Papyrus, Alphys, come here so that I can bandage your wounds.”

 

   Who knew how long it had been; days, weeks… It was hard to tell in the cave, since Papyrus wouldn’t let me out after my encounter with Chara. His whispers of his inability to do this without me and not wanting to lose me kept me from teleporting out each time. But now, as I sat with a Temmie in my lap, growling stomachs occasionally echoing in the cave, I couldn’t take it. “Tem hunger…” The little monster in my lap whimpered and I scowled. I set her gently in Muffet’s lap and stood making my way toward the rushing water. Papyrus was quick to follow me and drag me to a halt.

“Sans, you are _not_ going out there!” I whipped around almost angrily, catching him off guard.

“Our friends are _hungry_ , Papyrus,” I growled, gesturing around us at all the withered and worried expressions, “I’m not sitting around, anymore!” _Never again!_ He knelt on his knees in front of me so that we were eye-level, setting his hands on my shoulders.

“But what if the human catches you again? What if you’re not fast enough, this time? What if you don’t come back?! I can’t do this without you, Sans!!” I searched his desperate expression for a long moment before doing the unthinkable… I kissed him. I pulled him forward by the sides of his skull and crashed our mouths together. Through barely-open eyes I watched my brother’s face turn bright orange, his eye sockets growing wide in surprise. Even though he was making no move to pull away, I pressed forward hastily and let my tongue out to lick shyly at his mouth. My brother opened up with a delicious moan, and I shivered as our magick met in his mouth. I watched his eyes slowly shut after his pupils rolled upwards, and I returned the soft moan as his hands slid down from my shoulders to my arms before finally resting upon my own hands. His tongue was all-too-eager to return mine’s movements, and I closed my eyes all the way to focus on the feeling of it. After what seemed like hours, but was actually only about half of a minute, I broke the connection between our mouths and reopened my eyes. Papyrus wore a dazed expression, pupils fuzzy when he opened his eyes and tried to focus on me.

“I’ll be back soon,” I whispered, “I promise.”

 

   It wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be to find food, mostly at Grillby’s and the castle and abandoned Sentry posts, and I ported whatever I could find back to the cave. I spotted Chara a few times and had to hide, but other than that my mission had been uneventful. Once returning back to the cave and making sure I had gotten more than enough food for everybody, I chose a hot dog for myself and sat down beside Papyrus, who had already drunk all of his milkshake. My brother blushed and smiled sheepishly at me, and I chuckled in return. As soon as I had finished off my meal, I jumped and blushed when I felt and arm snake around my waist. Papyrus was trying not-so-sneakily to pull me closer to him. With a shy smile of my own, I turned to him and scooted closer, laying against his side and twining our legs, resting my head on his chest. I could hear his soul thrumming beneath his ribcage, mine syncing up with it and calming my left-over nerves. “Wait, so are you two…?” A Froggit trailed off slowly and I blushed a dark blue. _Are we…? For so long I’ve wanted, but… He’s my brother, and I’ve dedicated my existence to protecting him… Would he really-?_ I let out a quiet gasp as I was given a small squeeze.

“Yes, I suppose we are!” My eyes grew wide and I hid my face in Paps’ shirt to hide my flustered expression.

“It’s about time,” Asriel huffed, “Even with all of the timelines you’ve been through, Sans, it took _this_ for you to get the courage to finally kiss him.” I grunted in response. _Shut it, you little weed._

“About that,” Grillby spoke up from where he had been curiously watching us, “I’ve heard you two talk quite a bit about “timelines” and “resets”, but… What are those? What do you mean?” When I heard Asriel take a breath to respond, I sat up, turned to him, and shook my head. He smiled sadly with an understanding nod; we couldn’t break them. Not yet. Not ever.

“You’ll find out sooner or later… Hopefully.”

 

   Three weeks later, the day came. Chara finally found them.

 

   Everyone was asleep when I heard the giggle. I was on my feet in an instant, my magick tying my shoelaces as I stared at where the waterfall parted; there stood Chara, knife bared and slicing through the foam. “Found you.” Their voice was soft, childish but chilling. Though I flashed them my usual lazy smirk, I stayed on my toes; I wasn’t the only monster here, this time, so I had to be cautious.

“Of course you did; it was only a matter of time.” I raised my voice so that my friends would stir, and sure enough they did. They were jolted awake as I herded them behind me with my magick and took a few steps forward.

“Ch-Chara!” Asriel squeaked fearfully.

“B-Brother-!!”

“Stay back.” I ordered when they moved to get up, and they paused.

“B-But Sa-”

“Stay. _Back_.” I growled more firmly, sending them all a warning glance as my eye flared up. They all quickly backed down. Chara tilted their head slightly to the side, grin not faltering as they stepped fully into the cave. They giggled again, red eyes shining in the dim lighting as they looked past me.

“Asriel… Dearest brother… Why would you betray me?” The small monster tensed up, tears filling his eyes.

“I… I didn’t… I wouldn’t…” My smirk morphed into a scowl.

“Leave ‘em alone, kid, your Fight is with me,” They smirked, “It always has been.” A slow nod as they took a few more steps forward. We were only a few inches apart, now. _They want me to start this, then._ I grabbed a fistful of their hair and slammed their face down against my knee-cap before slamming them against a side wall with my magick. Flicking my hand about, their body followed its movements until I threw them down on the ground and skewered them with sharpened bones. A few of my friends gagged and all looked aghast.

“Are they…?” Mettaton trailed off as Chara giggled and stood with ease, the bone attacks falling from their back.

“You broke my nose with you knee, Sans, that’s a new one.” They chortled, licking blood away from their upper lip.

“Yeah,” I snorted, “And you don’t look very ‘cap’tivated after it.” Genuine laughter from the child somehow filled me with Determination… Determination and Hope.

“I always _did_ like your puns, Sans!” I chuckled at this and feigned to the side when they jabbed at me, and they missed; they always had been too slow and clumsy for my swift dodging and teleporting. I dodged from side-to-side with ease as I searched for an opportunity to strike and when I found one, I kicked their legs out from under them and sent them flying into a wall with a few bone attacks. They struck through their stomach and pinned them there as I summoned my Gaster Blaster. I stuffed my hands in my pockets and watched Chara writhe in agony as they were shot with blast after blast. I waved my Blasters off when they grew tired and dropped Chara to the ground, still watching them. They were breathing heavily as they knelt, and their HP was already pretty low.

“Why haven’t ya given up yet, kid? You know you’re not going to beat me, this time. And if you do, there are too many other monsters here for you to Fight all at once,” That was merely a hopeful thought for if I lost, “So why don’t you just hit Reset? Then we can pretend that none of this ever happened. How’s that sound, eh?” With a growl, they spat on the ground and rushed me again. I easily teleported out of the way and they barely managed to stop before they hit the other wall. “Why d’ya like seein’ us suffer, pal?” They attacked me again, thrust after thrust of their knife that I dodged and dodged and dodged again. And as I stared into his gleaming red eyes, I realized something… “No… No, you like seeing _me_ suffer. You like seeing me suffer because besides Asriel, I’m the only one who remembers. Because _I’m_ the only one who can match and even _beat_ your strength. Because at the end of the day, it’s _me_ who judges you in that hall. It’s _me_ who makes you Reset. You know, Chara… I’d say it’s a beautiful day outside, but I wouldn’t be able to tell you.” With a scream of frustration and rage, they sent their knife flying towards my friends. I quickly caught it with my magick and sent it back, and it slid across their throat. Despite the fact that they were now practically breathing their own blood, they caught their weapon with ease. Not at all fazed by the blood that gushed down their chest, I picked them up with my magick again. Ceiling, floor, ceiling, wall, and floor again. They now had 1HP left. “Whelp, I guess I’ll see ya in a new timeline, kid…” I sighed, raising one final bone attack. But as they sat up, I froze; it was Frisk. They were crying and bleeding and hurt, bid brown eyes full of fear. I could feel that it was their presence, and my attack disappeared. “K-Kid…? Frisk?” They let out a frightened sob.

“S-Sans, Chara is h-hurting me…! I don’t wanna do this anymore…! I don’t wanna be a puppet…!” I hurried over to them and knelt.

“It’s okay, kid, I’ve got ya…” As I reached forward to pull them close, a flash of red eyes made my soul run cold.

“ _Sans, watch out_!!” But it was too late. I stared, numb, at the fiery orange bones that had skewered Chara’s body. Their entire being seemed to tear apart into nothing, leaving their soul, which quickly broke and vanished. A blood-rusted knife fell to the ground. I slowly stood up, and it was suddenly very hard to breathe. Looking down at myself, I pressed a hand to the tear in my shirt. Pulling it back, I inspected it; it was drenched in blood. With a shuddering sigh, I stumbled and closed my eyes when I felt myself begin to fall. When I reopened them, I was staring up into my brother’s tear-filled eyes. Papyrus d caught me. I smiled sincerely up at him. “…We did it, bro.” My voice was surprisingly soft. Everyone seemed rooted to the ground in horror.

“S-Sans…” My brother whimpered, and I shakily brought a hand up to wipe away his tears.

“I’m glad… I’m glad I’m not alone this time, when I turn to dust. It’s always so cold, but… But now it’s warm,” I chuckled hoarsely, “I’d say I’m goin’ to Grillby’s, but he’s already here. Still, you want anything, Paps?” With a soft sob, he leaned down and buried his face into my neck, bringing a faint blue blush to my cheeks. Staring up, I watched the gems on the ceiling glitter. “…Kind of look like stars, hehe… Heh… Maybe in the next timeline, we’ll reach the surface again and we can go stargazing, bro…” A slow nod. My smile became bitter. “It’s takin’ its time, this time around…” My smile faded. “I can’t feel my legs…” Papyrus leaned back up, looking over me before letting out a fresh sob. I didn’t have to look down to know that half of my body had become ash.

“Is it painful?” Will asked quietly and my smile returned as I shook my head.

“No,” I said softly, “It doesn’t even feel like anything.” I paused, searching for more words. I knew the words I had always wanted to say. “When I’m gone, I won’t be gone forever. I’ll come back. Everyone will come back. We always do. But this time… Even when we start from the beginning… Don’t forget.”

“S-Sans, what are you…?” I gazed back up at my brother.

“Don’t forget this timeline, please… Promise me. Promise me that you won’t forget this happened.” Fresh tears slipped down his cheekbones.

“I-I promise, Sans. I promise, that-” I gently took his skull in my hands and pulled him in. Our mouths met in a sweet kiss that warmed my soul. My soul was breaking…

 

   I was surprised that when I opened my eyes, I wasn’t in my room. Instead, I stood inside an inky darkness, and before me knelt a weeping Frisk. Cautiously, I walked over to them. With a loud sob, they threw themselves into my arms. I embraced them, murmuring to them soothingly as they rambled off apologies. “Hey now, hey… It’s alright, kiddo. All that matters is that we’re here, now,” I saw the Reset button up ahead, “And that we can make it right.” Letting them go, I took their hand and led them over to the button. When I smiled at them, they smiled confidently back. “Let’s do it for real, this time.” A nod of Determination. Our hands twined, we pressed “Reset”.

 

   As I sat up in my bed, I sighed and looked out the window. _It’s a beautiful day, outside…_ I stood up, only bothering to put on some slippers before leaving my room. I hadn’t expected to be pulled into a tight, spine-popping hug by Papyrus. “ _Of course_ I won’t forget you Sans!!” I began to tremble, eyes wide and watery. I quickly wrapped my arms around him, never wanting to let go, especially when he began to pepper my mouth with kisses. “I’m never going to forget again!” He said between each one before cradling me close again, our souls beating rapidly together. “Never again.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry ;v;


End file.
